With just over a week left until the games count, there isn’t much time to correct the flaw. So Hurdle is taking a wait-and-see approach.

“We’re going to find out when the regular season comes,” Hurdle said. “It’s not so much the quantity of his pitches, but
the quality that has to improve. He’s aware of that. Once the bell rings we find out where we go from there. But he’s got work in front of him.”

Felix Pie homered and drove in four runs for Baltimore. Mark Reynolds and Luke Scott also connected for the Orioles, who rebounded from an early 3-0 deficit.

Reynolds’ homer was his first in a Baltimore uniform, and Pie’s two-run drive gave the Orioles a 5-3 lead in the fifth inning.

Neil Walker hit two solo homers and Lyle Overbay had a two-run shot for the Pirates. Josh Rodriguez also homered for Pittsburgh.

Orioles starter Jake Arrieta gave up three runs and a pair of homers in the first inning, then pitched four innings of one-hit ball before exiting with one out in the sixth. He was charged with four runs and five hits.

“The first inning, I started out just real sloppy,” the right-hander said.

Asked if he was pleased with the outing, Arrieta said, “Absolutely. I made a lot of strides. From the second to the fifth
inning, I feel like I was throwing like I was in midseason form. That’s a good sign.”

Before the game, Orioles manager Buck Showalter tabbed Arrieta to pitch Baltimore’s home opener against the Detroit Tigers on April 4.